Panel assemblies for use in sub-dividing office and other space have typically been constructed from elongate frame members. The frame members may be made from extruded aluminium or rolled sheet metal. The central panel structure which extends between the frame members is an opaque barrier member thereby providing some privacy. A plurality of panel assemblies may be secured together to define a space which has some degree of privacy, depending upon the size of the panels and the number of panels which are assembled together. (See for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,943 to Vondrejs et al).
The central panel member may be designed for various requirements. For example, it may be sub-divided it one or more units and may include channels for wiring (e.g. AC wiring and/or communication wiring).
Saylor et al discloses a sound absorbing panel. The panel has a ridged rectangular frame and a core structure which is disposed within the region bounded by the frame. The core comprises at least one honeycomb layer with thin facing sheets disposed on and fixedly secured to the opposed sides of the rectangular frame. A plurality of openings are formed in either or both of the skins so that approximately a single opening will communicate with a single cell of the honeycomb layer. The facing sheets are disclosed as being made from thin sheet metal (see the abstract and column 4, lines 59-68).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,995 discloses a panel assembly which also includes a honeycomb core. The panel assembly includes an exterior frame member. Foam material defines an interior perimeter extending between the honeycomb layer an the exterior frame member. As shown in the drawings of this patent, the side panels are constructed from a plurality of layers of planer and corrugated material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,278 discloses a wall partition having an interior honeycomb member and opposed spaced panels which may be made from plastic laminate, hardboard or wood veneer (column 2, lines 5-11).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,450 discloses a wall panel having an interior honeycomb construction. The opposed side faces of the panel are preferably constructed from gypsum board sheets (column 7, lines 34-35).
The honeycomb core of these various patents provides a lightweight member to the panel assembly. However, one disadvantage of some of these constructions is that the opposed side walls are constructed from relatively heavy materials. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,367 (Saylor et al) utilizes sheet metal as the side panels while U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,450 utilizes drywall. Accordingly, the benefits from using a lightweight honeycomb filler is lost by the use of such heavy construction materials. Accordingly, overall, the panel is not of a lightweight construction.
A further disadvantage of some of the constructions is that the material which is used for the opposed side walls is relatively expensive. As stated above, U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,367 utilizes sheet metal while U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,450 utilizes drywall. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,278 utilizes plastic laminate, hardboard or wood veneer, each of which is a relatively expensive building product. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,995 uses a multi-wall laminated construction. The manufacturer of such a construction requires multiple manufacturing steps and accordingly this adds to the overall cost of the unit.